Well, I got a cheap drumset. I seem to have a decent idea on how to play everything, except for the bass drum. My ankle gets sore after a while (5 minutes) and I never can seem to hit it well without having a lot of bouncing going on. Its a single pedal (I think?) Can anyone tell me any tips, or give me a link on how to properly use a single pedal?

And any other tips on basic playing are welcome

Thank you!

(also, which way should the hole in my bass drum face? Face me or outwards? should I hit the "white pad"? The pad is starting to fall off, how could I replace it?)

Well, I got a cheap drumset. I seem to have a decent idea on how to play everything, except for the bass drum. My ankle gets sore after a while (5 minutes) and I never can seem to hit it well without having a lot of bouncing going on. Its a single pedal (I think?) Can anyone tell me any tips, or give me a link on how to properly use a single pedal?

And any other tips on basic playing are welcome

Thank you!

(also, which way should the hole in my bass drum face? Face me or outwards? should I hit the "white pad"? The pad is starting to fall off, how could I replace it?)

What way are you playing your bass pedal. Heel up or heel down? And usually if you pedal pedal is bouncing is because your getting tired. So get you leg strenth up with lots of practice. Also, the whole should face outwards.

Well, I got a cheap drumset. I seem to have a decent idea on how to play everything, except for the bass drum. My ankle gets sore after a while (5 minutes) and I never can seem to hit it well without having a lot of bouncing going on. Its a single pedal (I think?) Can anyone tell me any tips, or give me a link on how to properly use a single pedal?

And any other tips on basic playing are welcome

Thank you!

(also, which way should the hole in my bass drum face? Face me or outwards? should I hit the "white pad"? The pad is starting to fall off, how could I replace it?)

What way are you playing your bass pedal. Heel up or heel down? And usually if you pedal pedal is bouncing is because your getting tired. So get you leg strenth up with lots of practice. Also, the whole should face outwards.

I'm playing heel down. Should I keep the pedal pushed down or should I release it after hitting?

I'm playing heel down. Should I keep the pedal pushed down or should I release it after hitting?

I can never play the bass drum with heel down. My ankle would shit itself and I'd get tired too quickly. I find that I can get more speed with less effort heel up. However, if heel down works for you, then go for it.

I never realised how hard it is playing anything other than 4/4! Just recently my teacher gave me some 5/4 and it's deceivingly difficult. That extra count at the end throws me off on occasion. Same with 3/4, but only if the beat is difficult and polyrhythmic. I haven't even started to try others, but hopefully soon I will.

I also have a problem with co-ordination. Playing rapid hand-to-hand quickly becomes unstuck and sloppy. I've (upgraded) to 6A sticks and it feels much better. I'll get some 7A's soon. I bought 5B sticks and it's like holding tree-trunks.

My drumkit is so ancient...I need to get a new one fast. One of my cymbals has a huge crack and chunks missing, the hi-hat pedal is fucked, my double-bass could use an upgrade, and the whole kit in general is just second-rate. I'm trying to save for a new one, which is proving harder than first anticipated.

Yea, I use heel up. I find I can last longer with it. Oh, and after hitting keep the pedal down. If it's bouncing try pushing down harder maybe. And get your leg strength up with some excercises. Yes, you are doing heel up if you have you heel raised and your front part of your foot is on the pedal

Playing heel down seems very strange. My ankle would detach from my leg!

What kind of sticks do you drummers' use? I have trouble with co-ordination. If I'm doing single stroke semi-quavers fast, I can't maintain it for long periods. I'm just now finding out that thinner sticks are better for me. I'm gonna get a 7A pair, and even thinner if they exist. Or maybe I just need to practice more!

When I reach speeds of about 135 bpm playing 16ths I find myself suddenly only using my heels to play. At first it's alot better but after some time I just can't control it properly and then it's nor coordinated anymore. I've been practicing heel down lately and it doesn't seem to help that much. Am I missing something? I normally play with my heels maybe half an inch off my pedals.

When I reach speeds of about 135 bpm playing 16ths I find myself suddenly only using my heels to play. At first it's alot better but after some time I just can't control it properly and then it's nor coordinated anymore. I've been practicing heel down lately and it doesn't seem to help that much. Am I missing something? I normally play with my heels maybe half an inch off my pedals.

When I reach speeds of about 135 bpm playing 16ths I find myself suddenly only using my heels to play. At first it's alot better but after some time I just can't control it properly and then it's nor coordinated anymore. I've been practicing heel down lately and it doesn't seem to help that much. Am I missing something? I normally play with my heels maybe half an inch off my pedals.

Thanks

What do you mean your suddenly using your heels to play?

I think he means that when reaching quick speeds he needs to use his heel for support so he doesn't mess it up.

As for me, I don't think I can get to speeds anywhere near that yet. My double-kick sucks balls, so hopefully I'll get better quicker when I get a new one.

This has probably been asked already in this thread, but can anyone point me to some simple but interesting drum lines for beginners? I can play most of Iron Man solid for a few minutes straight and now I feel I should move onto something new.

This has probably been asked already in this thread, but can anyone point me to some simple but interesting drum lines for beginners? I can play most of Iron Man solid for a few minutes straight and now I feel I should move onto something new.

So what did you guys learn when you started out?

Thanks

When I started playing drums i learned classic heavy metal like iron maiden, black sabbath and stuff like that. Just find some traditional metal

Iv been playing drums for about 4 years and my main inspiration for playing is Neil Peart from the progressive rock band "Rush". The first time I heard him drumming in the song "Subdivisions," I was amazed at his talent and his unique style of playing. I wanted to drum just like him, so I took up drum lessons in August 2003. Over the years Iv discovered many other drummers that are great as well, specifically from the metal genre because of its "technicality". I try to incorporate different styles into my drumming. Thrash metal being my primary style, I like to use elements of punk, jazz-fusion, and death metal while still keeping a "thrashy" sound to my playing. Besides my personal style, I like to play cover songs from other genres too. I choose to listen/play to metal because its what influences me most to generate new ideas for styles/fusions that I haven’t tried before. Other than metal music, I also listen to classic rock, 80's pop, glam metal/rock, southern rock, alternative rock, just about any type of rock/metal, grindcore, punk, jazz, and some old-school gangster rap.

downfall is a great song, probably one of my favorites off the album. anyway, just a couple months ago i was practicing this song in my basement and realized the double kicker part was very challenging. not so much how its played, but just mastering the approximate speed of the kicker takes nothing but practice. i came pretty close to playing the whole song without any mistakes and my double kicker speed was somewhat close to the real speed of the song. but i didn't keep up with practicing the song and now i can't play it anymore. sucks. i'll have to work on it all over again.

Playing heel down seems very strange. My ankle would detach from my leg!

What kind of sticks do you drummers' use? I have trouble with co-ordination. If I'm doing single stroke semi-quavers fast, I can't maintain it for long periods. I'm just now finding out that thinner sticks are better for me. I'm gonna get a 7A pair, and even thinner if they exist. Or maybe I just need to practice more!

What about others?

Zildjian 5A, nylon tips. I broke two pairs of wood tips within four hours of buying them.

Playing heel down seems very strange. My ankle would detach from my leg!

What kind of sticks do you drummers' use? I have trouble with co-ordination. If I'm doing single stroke semi-quavers fast, I can't maintain it for long periods. I'm just now finding out that thinner sticks are better for me. I'm gonna get a 7A pair, and even thinner if they exist. Or maybe I just need to practice more!

What about others?

Zildjian 5A, nylon tips. I broke two pairs of wood tips within four hours of buying them.

Oh, really? Yeah luckily most of mine have lasted the distance, but I have some that've lasted about 7 seconds . Yeah I used to have a zildjian 5A and it lasted ages. It was wood tipped, though, so it was surprising. I'm finding that the thinner the sticks are the easier it is to play with them.

On another note, I'm trying to learn to gravity blast. So far it's not working at all, but I'm hoping that if I keep going with it, it'll come through.

Hey guys I have been playing guitar for almost 6 years and i have only just started to drum in a brutal death metal band called, brutal Disembowelment. I have been teaching myself alot of things that I have got of the net ect and I can blast very fast with my high hat and snare and also my ride and snare.

I am haveing problems with my feet for example when I do a strait eight I get about five or six secconds into it and then my foot just takes of and goes all out of rythem and pritty much starts doing doubles on its own( this is just with single pedal). I seem to have a problem with pritty much useing my feet their is nothing wrong with my arms' ect I can do drum rolls and blast fast ect. I just cant use my fucking feet!.

Hey guys I have been playing guitar for almost 6 years and i have only just started to drum in a brutal death metal band called, brutal Disembowelment. I have been teaching myself alot of things that I have got of the net ect and I can blast very fast with my high hat and snare and also my ride and snare.

I am haveing problems with my feet for example when I do a strait eight I get about five or six secconds into it and then my foot just takes of and goes all out of rythem and pritty much starts doing doubles on its own( this is just with single pedal). I seem to have a problem with pritty much useing my feet their is nothing wrong with my arms' ect I can do drum rolls and blast fast ect. I just cant use my fucking feet!.

any suggestions or advice would be great.

Your problem has to do with endurance. Practice getting your feet strength higher by doing continuous excersizes over a period of time. Do singles with your feet as fast as you can, but is still comfortable and try and hold it as long as you can. And if your feet are getting out of time from your hands try doing your rudiments with your feet and hands at the same time(the easy ones like singles, double, paradiddles, etc). And just keep practicing. Keep it up

Hey guys I have been playing guitar for almost 6 years and i have only just started to drum in a brutal death metal band called, brutal Disembowelment. I have been teaching myself alot of things that I have got of the net ect and I can blast very fast with my high hat and snare and also my ride and snare.

I am haveing problems with my feet for example when I do a strait eight I get about five or six secconds into it and then my foot just takes of and goes all out of rythem and pritty much starts doing doubles on its own( this is just with single pedal). I seem to have a problem with pritty much useing my feet their is nothing wrong with my arms' ect I can do drum rolls and blast fast ect. I just cant use my fucking feet!.

On another note, I'm trying to learn to gravity blast. So far it's not working at all, but I'm hoping that if I keep going with it, it'll come through.

The easiest way i learned to gravity blast, was to grip the stick in a fist-like grip, but placing your thumb on top of the stick, and rotate your hand so that the knuckle of your index finger generally faces towards the ceiling. If that was blurry hold a pen as if your about to click it, then slide the pen up about 2 inches in your hand, thats as best as i can describe it. I am unsure whether or not this is the 'proper' way to do it, but it works very well for me personally. Im guessing you know the general technique for gravity blasting, but GB is much like riding a bike, once u get it you'll pretty much get it, even though you'll still need to practice to be good at it. However, I have seen Flo Mounier blast beat on his hi-hat and hell if I know how he does that and if anyone does, that would be helpful. Hope this helps your situation though.

On another note, I'm trying to learn to gravity blast. So far it's not working at all, but I'm hoping that if I keep going with it, it'll come through.

The easiest way i learned to gravity blast, was to grip the stick in a fist-like grip, but placing your thumb on top of the stick, and rotate your hand so that the knuckle of your index finger generally faces towards the ceiling. If that was blurry hold a pen as if your about to click it, then slide the pen up about 2 inches in your hand, thats as best as i can describe it. I am unsure whether or not this is the 'proper' way to do it, but it works very well for me personally. Im guessing you know the general technique for gravity blasting, but GB is much like riding a bike, once u get it you'll pretty much get it, even though you'll still need to practice to be good at it. However, I have seen Flo Mounier blast beat on his hi-hat and hell if I know how he does that and if anyone does, that would be helpful. Hope this helps your situation though.

Yeah I figured it out now! I figured out that my thumb needs to be on top of the stick, and I noticed an immediate improvement. I can do it, just not well . But you're absolutely right, once you figure out the technique, it's a matter of time/practice until you can do it well.

How do you blast beat? I know it seems to be essential for death metal, and if I ever had a band, I'd like to know how to explain to the drummer how to blast. No one around here plays metal.

Yeah, it takes a while to learn, mate. I think it's just a matter of using your fingers to keep the stick moving. Thing is, I can't do it that well, either, as my wrist starts to cane after a short period of time. It's a mixture of wrist and fingers, but keep your thumb and forefinger on the stick so it doesn't fly away. If I can do it, anyone can do it. Someone else may have a better description.

That's not very accurate, mate. If played slowly, "Alternating" could count as a fast 2/4 beat, same with "Double bass", just reversed. The "simultaneous" could work, but would be a bitch to play quickly. "Gravity blast" looks the most accurate, especially if played quickly.

You did say "may not be rhythmically precise", but it's a good starting point.